LGBT Agenda Hijacks Youth Synod

Emphasis on 'welcoming' homosexuals, little mention of repentance and conversion

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VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - The ongoing Synod on the Youth is being used as a platform to aggressively promote the LGBT agenda.

Several prelates taking part in the Youth Synod are reportedly trumpeting a set of pro-gay talking points.

For example, in a tweet on Oct. 20 by National Catholic Reporter author Joshua McElwee, he noted that — speaking in reference to LGBT individuals — Cdl. Blase of Cupich of Chicago called for "inclusion," Cdl. John Ribat from the archdiocese of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea said "no one is excluded" and Abp. Peter Comensoli of Melbourne, Australia allegedly said, "Aren't we all sinners? And aren't we all looking to be found by God?"

"Three bishops at Synod briefing now speak about desire for church to be inclusive for gay people," McElwee tweeted.

The quotes came from an Oct. 20 Vatican press conference at the Youth Synod. During the conference, a double question was posed to the panel about welcoming migrants and welcoming homosexuals.

Cardinal Cupich answered the question first. After addressing the issue of migration, he said:

With regard to the issue of the same-sex attraction, and the issues lined with that: There were a number of interventions, in our group but also in reports today, that wanted to make sure that we said something that was inclusive of everyone. I was asked the question, "What is the final document going to have to say to people who are homosexual, who have same-sex attraction?" ... My answer was, "I think the whole document has to have something to say to everybody." So we wanted to make sure that people were included, and felt included by whatever we had to say.

Recently, the synod fathers and lay participants have been meeting in small groups to discuss the sections of the Instrumentum laboris, or "working document," composed at a meeting of young people from around the world in the Vatican earlier this year.

Every couple days during the synod, each small group completes a relatio or "report" on what the group discussed. These relationes are published in groups by the Vatican. Three sets of relationes have been released so far — corresponding to parts one, two and three of the Instrumentum. The most recent relationes were published Oct. 20 — the same day as the press conference.

So we wanted to make sure that people were included, and felt included by whatever we had to say.

In his response to the question, Cdl. Ribat mentioned those who are same-sex attracted and said, "Now the approach of the Church is to be able to welcome everyone, and to be able to make them feel at home, and no one is excluded. And that is the Church."

Cardinal Ribat later said about the synod discussions, "It's really about not excluding anybody. It's really about welcoming everyone and [being] at home with each other."

Then the moderator asked Australia's Abp. Comensoli if he wanted to comment next. He said, "Very simply, aren't we all sinners? And aren't we all looking to be found by God? And being found by God, how we might then find our lives in Him."

Also during the press conference, EWTN's Matthew Bunson asked the panelists if and how the discussion in the synod was addressing the sex abuse scandal that has afflicted the Church in English-speaking countries like America and Australia. Both Cupich and Comensoli admitted the abuse crisis came up regularly during the synod.

Then, in a follow-up question, Susie Pinto of EWTN News Nightly asked about how they respond to criticism of the February synod on the sex abuse scandal and what concrete measures will come from it.

Cupich said that bishops should be open to being investigated when accusations are made against them. Then, in response to a question in Spanish, Cdl. Cupich emphasize that a lay investigative panel into sex abuse needs to be able to investigation bishops like himself "without our interference."

Later, Diane Montagna of LifeSiteNews asked the panelists to be "a little more clear about what you mean by 'welcoming' and 'acceptance,'" wondering if they make a distinction between loving the person and approving of the lifestyle.

She also asked, "I wonder what impact you think Abp. Viganò's third testimony might have on the synod ... especially in light of what he says about a homosexual culture being the root cause of much of the sexual abuse that we've seen in the Church."

Archbishop Comensoli replied that all Christians are called to take up the cross, including those with same-sex attraction. Cardinal Cupich emphasized that all people need to be accompanied on the journey.

Cardinal Cupich said to Montagna's second question, "I don't know if there's anything new" in Viganò's third testimony, characterizing it as part of an ongoing "back-and-forth."

Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Chicago archdiocese

Cupich also said, "The research shows clearly ... that the cause is not homosexuality, but that there are other factors as well."

Comensoli chimed in, claiming there is research in Australia that confirms Cupich's point.

Comensoli replied, "I'm completely unaware of the particular letter, or document — I don't know what it is — so I have to answer in a fairly general sort of way."

He said he wanted to point out "the amount [sic] of times I've heard from our young auditors, particularly from our young auditors, that they want to grow in their relationship with God, in truth and in love. And doing that within the broader teachings of the Church."

Hundreds of Australian youth said in an Oct. 12 petition addressed to those partaking in the synod, "The young do not want to shape the Church before the Church can form us. The world is confused. And in this confusion, the young have nothing to grasp."

The petition also states that young people "can't hope to take shape amidst confusion over issues such as contraception, sexuality, communion for divorcees and non-Catholics, married priests and female ordination."

They complain about the subversion of Church teaching by liberal Church leadership: "Such confusion is borne from senior prelates purposefully employing ambiguous language when addressing such issues, even in the face of Christ’s teachings, the Church Fathers and the clear dogma of the Church."

The text also calls out bad, watered-down liturgy, saying, "No matter how much we try and make it contemporary or easy to understand, the Mass escapes us. In bringing the Mass down to our level of comfort, we turn a profound claim physically manifested in a glimpse of heaven, into a weird claim which people struggle to take seriously."

The Australian petition has 217 signatories. The list of signatures features both members and alumni of the Australian Catholic Students Association, an organization of university students.

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